Dealing With the Devil: Sebastian MichaelisxOC [3rd Place (Sebastian) KuroWA'14]

IV: Nightfall

I shivered at the sensation of Sebastian's touch, watching him in the mirror as he slowly pulled the dress off, sliding it off of my shoulders and gently pulling my arms out. He tugged it further down, nearly sliding the cloth off of my chest before stopping for a moment.

"Are you alright, Claire?" He asked, our eyes meeting in the mirror. I couldn't stop blushing. His fingers were still pressed against the flat of my back, though my thin chemise was in the way.

"I'm fine," I said quickly. He nodded and continued. I yelped a little as he tugged down to my waist, and my arms flew over the front of my corset.

Silently, he continued till my dress was pooled at my feet, scrunched up. I could hear the sound of my heart beating in my ears, and when I looked into the mirror, I could see Sebastian's figure bent down behind me, picking the dress up. I moved aside so that it would be easier.

"Now, let's get this on, shall we?" Sebastian dropped the dress onto my bed and picked up the new one. His eyes weren't focused on my figure at all, and that somehow made me feel at ease. I ran my fingers slowly along the hem of my underclothes and he began helping me put on the new dress.

"There," he said softly as it slid over my head and arms before cascading down my length. He fixed the shoulder straps with a gentle, innocuous hand before bending down and straightening out the dress's folds and structure.

I didn't need to examine myself in the mirror for very long to know that it looked perfect.

"It's wonderful," I exhaled, twirling once before stopping in front of the mirror again. I caught a glimpse of Sebastian's grinning face momentarily as I spun, and when I stopped, he had his hand on my shoulder.

"It pleases me that you like it, Lady Claire," he said softly, turning away, "Now, I must prepare for..."

As he turned, I grabbed his hand and held it tightly, looking him in the eye. "I know you need to prepare," the words leaving my mouth before I could think twice, "But could you dance with me one more time?"

It almost looked, from the expression etched onto Sebastian's ivory face, that he was amused by what I had said. Suddenly, he stepped towards me, our noses nearly touching, his face only inches away from mine, making the fine, short hairs on the nape of my neck stand up.

He exhaled softly, his breath cool and without scent nor odour. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be this close to him or not. Some part of me begged to be closer, I soon realized.

"Of course," the butler whispered, crimson eyes set against mine. My heart began to race as he opened his mouth to continue, "But it will have to be later tonight, during the ball."

My fingers slipped off of his hand and he calmly walked towards the door without looking back. I huffed and balled my fists.

"Sebastian, you...," I didn't even know why I was bothering to go on, "You enjoy teasing me, don't you?"

"Hmm," he pressed a finger against his lips thoughtfully, and honestly, my eyes were focused right there, "Perhaps. Do you like it when I tease you?"

"I don't know how to answer that," I replied honestly. He smirked.

"Rest assured, there will be more teasing later in the evening, Claire," and with that, he left the room.

I sighed loudly and blushed, staring at myself in the mirror. The scene from two minutes ago, with Sebastian undressing and redressing me, and his face so close to mine, it kept playing through my head, again and again.

"I love you," I confessed to the empty room, my voice barely a whisper, "I love you, Sebastian."

The words I was whispering to the blank walls weren't as empty as I hoped. How could I fall in love with someone's butler like that? Was there no way out of this? I knew that I wanted him to kiss me when his face was so close, but I just wouldn't allow myself to indulge in such impossible fantasies.